Hexagon Metrology welcomes technical experts to Automation Forum

Automotive professionals joined metrology and manufacturing industry experts at the new Hexagon Metrology Automation Centre in Wetzlar, Germany to celebrate its opening with a free technical conference. The two-day event opened on 30 September and included over 15 sessions designed to help attendees harness the power of actionable information.

Focusing on inline and offline 3D measurement technology within body shell manufacturing, the Automation Forum showcased how top vehicle manufacturers are driving productivity by moving quality assurance into the production process.

As well as the inauguration of the new Automation Centre at Wetzlar, highlights included a live demonstration of a Hexagon Metrology 360Ëš SIMS (Smart Inline Measurement Solutions) cell. Utilising the large-area measurement capabilities of white light scanning equipment alongside advanced industrial robots and patented integration systems, 360Ëš SIMS is Hexagon Metrology’s complete solution for fully-automated dimensional process and quality control. Attendees could also get hands-on and test a range of metrology hardware and software solutions live between the programme of compelling sessions.

The Automation Forum featured presentations on trends in the automotive world from leading experts in Industry 4.0, big data and collaborative robotics. Mark Fulthorpe from IHS Automotive spoke about how OEMs are adapting to the needs of the market to increase production flexibility and there was a session on simulation and virtual offline programming from Dr Johan S. Carlson, Director of the Fraunhofer-Chalmers Centre.

‘Our research and development direction is heavily influenced by dialogue with customers and experts, which allows us to better understand their needs,’ said Per Holmberg, President of Hexagon Metrology EMEA. ‘Industry-focused events like this are a hugely productive way of interfacing with customers and sharing knowledge in both directions. Our new Automation Centre is an impressive facility and it’s only right that this impressive audience of automotive industry experts were here to celebrate its opening. I’m sure this facility will host many more events like this in future.’

About Hexagon Metrology

Hexagon Metrology offers a comprehensive range of products and services for all industrial metrology applications in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, energy and medical. We support our customers with actionable measurement information along the complete life cycle of a product – from development and design to production, assembly and final inspection.

With more than 20 production facilities and 70 Precision Centres for service and demonstrations, and a network of over 100 distribution partners on five continents, we empower our customers to fully control their manufacturing processes, enhancing the quality of products and increasing efficiency in manufacturing plants around the world. For more information, visit www.hexagonmetrology.com.

Hexagon is a leading global provider of information technologies that drive productivity and quality across industrial and geospatial applications. Hexagon’s solutions integrate sensors, software, domain knowledge and customer workflows into intelligent information ecosystems that deliver actionable information. They are used in a broad range of vital industries.